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It looks like DEUTZ Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:DEZ) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Meaning, you will need to purchase DEUTZ's shares before the 9th of May to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 14th of May.
The company's next dividend payment will be €0.17 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of €0.17 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that DEUTZ has a trailing yield of 3.2% on the current share price of €5.315. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether DEUTZ can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
View our latest analysis for DEUTZ
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. DEUTZ is paying out just 23% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether DEUTZ generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It distributed 30% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It's positive to see that DEUTZ's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see DEUTZ earnings per share are up 5.3% per annum over the last five years. The company is retaining more than half of its earnings within the business, and it has been growing earnings at a decent rate. We think this is generally an attractive combination, as dividends can grow through a combination of earnings growth and or a higher payout ratio over time.